Safety device when opening ampoules

ABSTRACT

Safety device in the form of a finger protector for grasping the removable end of flame-sealed ampoules and the like in the opening thereof comprising an elongated body of essentially conical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extending circumferential flange, and at the other end thereof a rounded portion at least partially closing said end, said first named end having on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from said outwardly extending flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections collectively defining a discontinuous circumferential rib of reduced diameter, said conical body and the flange and discontinuous rib thereof being integrally formed of yieldable material, and the size and proportions of said conical portion being such as to accommodate the protruding portion of an ampoule tip when said discontinuous rib has passed over the characteristic enlargement adjacent the ampoule and tip juncture. The discontinuous rib, by reason of its inward protrusion and location, provides a pressure point or fulcrum which facilitates clean severance of an ampoule tip. The rounded end of the conical body is preferably closed when the device is intended as a one use, throw-away, device and may suitably have a small axial opening to facilitate removal of a severed ampoule tip, when the device is intended for repeated usage.

United States Patent 1 Goldberg et al.

[ 1March 13, 1973 1 SAFETY DEVICE WHEN OPENING AMPOULES [75] Inventors: Raymond Goldberg, East Meadow; Irving F. Shaw, East Rockaway, both of NY.

[73] Assignee: West Laboratories, Inc., Long Island City, NY.

[22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1970 [211 App]. No.: 86,132

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,821,913 9/1931 Smith ..l28/252 3,429,427 2/1969 Wolf ..206/45 .34 3,390,759 7/1968 Vanderbeck ..206/43 3,306,291 2/1967 Burke ..206/43 X Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Stephen P. Garbe Attorney-Howard E. Thompson, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT Safety device in the form of a finger protector for grasping the removable end of flame-sealed ampoules and the like in the opening thereof comprising an elongated body of essentially conical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extending circumferential flange, and at the other end thereof a rounded portion at least partially closing said end, said first named end having on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from said outwardly extending flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections collectiveiy defining a discontinuous circumferential rib of reduced diameter, said conical body and the flange and discontinuous rib thereof being integrally formed of yieldable material, and the size and proportions of said conical portion being such as to accommodate the protruding portion of an ampoule tip when said discontinuous rib has passed over the characteristic enlargement adjacent the ampoule and tip juncture.

The discontinuous rib, by reason of its inward protrusion and location, provides a pressure point or fulcrum which facilitates clean severance of an ampoule tip. The rounded end of the conical body is preferably closed when the device is intended as a one use, throw-away, device and may suitably have a small axial opening to facilitate removal of a severed ampoule tip, when the device is intended for repeated usage.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATEmEunm sum INVIiN'I'ORS RAYMOND GOLDBERG IRVING F. SHAW ammaa w.

their ATTORNEY SAFETY DEVICE WHEN OPENING AMPOULES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Numerous drugs and medical supplies, particularly for injection purposes, are package in flame-sealed glass ampoules which characteristically have a cylindrical body part joined by a restricted neck to an elongated bulbous tip, the end of which is flame-sealed when the ampoule has been filled. This packaging assures sterility of the contents until the ampoule is opened by removal of the tip to gain access to the contents. With other type materials such as hairdressing supplies, deliquescent solids, and the like sealed containers with ends removable by rupture are employed to prevent alteration of the contents by the pick-up or loss of vapors, or merely to preclude tampering with the contents.

The time-honored procedure when opening such flame-sealed ampoules is to scratch or nick the restricted neck with a small file or cutting tool and then in a quick movement to snap off the'ampoule tip at the restricted neck. There is a knack, however, to scratching and breaking such ampoules, and unless properly done there is a danger of splintering the glass at the point of the break or even collapsing of the tip part with the possibility of thereby cutting the fingers of the operator. Even if these possibilities do not occur, there is always the chance of inadvertently sustaining a cut by brushing against the jagged edge of the ampoule as the tip is being severed.

Flame-sealed ampoules, of course, are made in many sizes, and while the danger of injury is relatively low with small one or two cc ampoules, the possibility of injury increases rapidly with increase in the ampoule size. This is due in part to difficulty in controlling wall thickness when forming the ampoules and particularly the neck and tip portions thereof; and with larger ampoules the danger of the tip portion shattering as it is being broken from the ampoule body isa very real problem.

Sealed containers with removable ends are by no means limited to the conventional ampoule above described but can assume various shapes and sizes for decorative or utilitarian purposes. Furthermore, the separation of the removable end may be facilitated by a localized pre-stressing of the container at the intended point of severance by various known means such as that described in US. Pat. No. 2,517,604. With any such removable end, however, there is danger of injury, due to collapse of the end or contact with sha'rp edges of the container as the end is being removed. In our pending application Ser. No. 774,562, filed Oct. 3, 1968, a type of finger protector for ampoule tips has been disclosed and claimed which is quite effective for the safe removal of ampoule tips having a rather large bulbous protrusion adjacent the juncture between the tip and ampoule. In the device disclosed in said application, a generally tubular to frustoconica] body portion, having a radial flange at one end was shorter than the intended ampoule tip, and included at the opposing end a plurality of inwardly extending flanges which act as centering and gripping means for the protruding end of the ampoule tip.

A more recent trend in the mass production of amof enlargement adjacent the juncture between the ampoule and tip is not only less pronounced but also tends I to vary considerably from ampoule to ampoule; and i THE INVENTION The safety device or finger protector in accordance with the present invention while generally similar in its broad concept to the device in said pending application Ser. No. 774,562, embodies structural changes which uniquely adapt the device to the less bulbous or slenderized ampoule tips which are coming into increasing use. As with the prion device, there is an enlarged radial flange at one end, but the body portion has been made essentially conical in contour with the opposed end being rounded and either completely closed or substantially closed and with the dimensions of the conical body being such a to accommodate the entire length of the ampoule tip. This is important because with the slenderized ampoule tips, there is increased possibility of breakage within the length of the tip as pressure is being applied to remove the tip from the ampoule at the intended point of severance.

The flanged end of the improved device is provided on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from the flange, with a plurality of circumferentially spaced inward projections forming a discontinuous circumferential bead of substantially reduced diameter. This discontinuous bead, being fashioned from flexible plastic material as an integral part of the flexible plastic device, provides effective means for positioning the device on the slenderized ampoule tips in spite of the substantial variation which is found to exist from one ampoule to another in the dimension of the slight enlargement adjacent the juncture between the tip and ampoule.

The device can be inexpensively produced from various materials which have somewhat yieldable or flexible properties, such as treated paper, rubber, moulded plastics and the like and can readily be produced so inexpensively as to be treated as a one use, throw-away, device. On the other hand, it :is equally practical to produce the device with the intention that it be repeatedly used in removing ampoule tips, and in such event it is preferable that the end remote from the I flange be provided with a small axial opening sufficient poules has moved in the direction of providing ampoule tips of substantially reduced diameter where the degree to permit insertion of a pencil point or other small probe to facilitate ejection of a severed ampoule tip from the device. Satisfactory results have been obtained when moulding the device from polyethylene or polypropylene, and the use of a clear or partially transparent plastic has the advantage of permitting the ampoule tip to be viewed through the device.

Details of the invention will readily be understood from a consideration of the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawing illustrating a typical adaptation of the invention, in which the various parts thereof are identified by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a shortened side elevation view of a typical ampoule with slenderized tip having a finger protecting device associated therewith and with part of said device broken away and in section;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the finger protecting device as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the finger protecting device taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a typical ampoule 10, having a container or body part 11 of generally cylindrical contour which is joined by a restricted neck 12 to a tip or removable end 13 which is closed by flame-sealing at the end 14. The tip 13 is of elongated tapered structure having a portion 15 adjacent the juncture with the ampoule body 11 which is only slightly larger in diameter than the neck 12 at the intended point of severance 16. This is in distinct contrast to the type of ampoule tip disclosed in application Ser. No. 774,562, wherein the bulbous portion 15 of the tip is of substantially greater diameter than the minimum diameter of the neck joining the ampoule and tip.

The safety device or finger protector 17 has an essentially conical body 18 terminating at one end in a circumferential outwardly extending radial flange 19 which, as shown in the drawing, is adapted to be positioned in substantial alignment with the intended line of severance 16 in the reduced neck 12. The flange 19 should project outwardly from the conical body a substantial distance to provide protection of the fingers from contact with broken edges of the ampoule or container body as the tip or removable end is being severed. When the ampoule body is substantially larger than the removable end 13, the flange 18 suitably has a diameter equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the ampoule body to facilitate packaging of ampoules with protectors attached. In general, however, the flange 19 should protrude at least about three-eighths inch from the tubular body in order to adequately shield and protect the fingers gripping the device in the operation of removing an ampoule tip.

The other end portion of the conical body is smoothly rounded, as seen at 20, and may include a small axial aperture 21, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The aperture 21 is particularly desirable in a device intended for re-use as a means for inserting a small probe to facilitate ejection of a severed ampoule tip from the device.

The first named end of the device 17 is provided internally and closely adjacent the flange 19 with a plurality of inwardly extending projections 22, which are circumferentially spaced, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, and which collectively define a discontinuous internal rib having a substantially reduced inner circumference 23. It will be noted that the projections 22 are separated by spaces 24 having approximately half the circumferential dimension of the projections. This relative size and spacing of the projections provide substantial adaptability for the device in engaging ampoule tips showing variation in the diameter of the enlarged portion 15. When sliding the device over the enlarged portion 15, the inwardly protruding members 22 can flex longitudinally of the device, and further accommodation is provided by circumferential stretching which is possible in the wall structure in the areas aligned with the spaces 24. It will also be noted that the contouring of the members 22 is such as to be readily fashioned by undercuts in an inner mould part with flexibility of the moulded material permitting withdrawal of the inner mould part after the outer mould part has been removed. 4

The discontinuous internal bead formed by the members 22 has the further advantage of providing a point of leverage closely adjacent the intended line of severance 16, thereby minimizing the tilting force that needs to be applied to an ampoule tip in severing the same. It should be noted, in this connection, that this function of the members 22 would come into play, even if the device were used with an ampoule in which the enlarged portion 15 of the tip was so small as to freely pass through the reduced circumference 23 provided by the members 22. In other words, the operation of squeezing and tilting a somewhat loose fitting device 17 will automatically force portions of the members 22 into engagement with the tip 13 adjacent the line of severance 16 to provide the added leverage which facilitates clean severance of the ampoule tip 13.

Various changes and modifications in the safety device or finger protector as herein disclosed may occur to those skilled in the art, and to the extent that such changes and modifications are embraced by the appended claims, it is to be understood that they constitute part of the present invention.

We claim:

1. A finger protecting device for grasping the removable end of flame-sealed ampoules in the opening thereof, said device comprising an elongated body of essentially conical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extending circumferential planar flange having a diameter more than twice the diameter of said end of the elongated body, and at the other end thereof a rounded portion at least partially closing said end, said first named end having on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from said outwardly extending flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced and annularly extending projections collectively defining a discontinuous circumferential rib of reduced diameter, the cross section of said projections longitudinally of said device being of tapered contour converging in the direction of said reduced diameter, said conical body and the flange and discontinuous rib thereof being integrally formed of yieldable material, the size and proportions of said conical portion being such as to accommodate the entire removable ampoule tip when said discontinuous rib has passed over the characteristic enlargement adjacent the ampoule and tip juncture, and said discontinuous rib, by reason of its inward protrusion and location, providing a pressure point closely adjacent such ampoule and tip juncture which facilitates clean severance of an ampoule tip.

2. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second named end of said conical body is completely closed, and said device is intended as a one use, throw-away, device.

3. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second named end of said conical body has a small axial opening facilitating insertion of a probe to eject a severed ampoule tip, and said device is intended for repeated use in the removal of ampoule tips.

4. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the projections forming said discontinuous circumferential rib are of a length substantially twice the 6. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said device is a unitary body of moulded plastic material, and said plastic material is of a clear to partially transparent type permitting an ampoule tip to be visible within said device.

* i i i 

1. A finger protecting device for grasping the removable end of flame-sealed ampoules in the opening thereof, said device comprising an elongated body of essentially conical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extending circumferential planar flange having a diameter more than twice the diameter of said end of the elongated body, and at the other end thereof a rounded portion at least partially closing said end, said first named end having on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from said outwardly extending flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced and annularly extending projections collectively defining a discontinuous circumferential rib of reduced diameter, the cross section of said projections longitudinally of said device being of tapered contour converging in the direction of said reduced diameter, said conical body and the flange and discontinuous rib thereof being integrally formed of yieldable material, the size and proportions of said conical portion being such as to accommodate the entire removable ampoule tip when said discontinuous rib has passed over the characteristic enlargement adjacent the ampoule and tip juncture, and said discontinuous rib, by reason of its inward protrusion and location, providing a pressure point closely adjacent such ampoule and tip juncture which facilitates clean severance of an ampoule tip.
 1. A finger protecting device for grasping the removable end of flame-sealed ampoules in the opening thereof, said device comprising an elongated body of essentially conical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extending circumferential planar flange having a diameter more than twice the diameter of said end of the elongated body, and at the other end thereof a rounded portion at least partially closing said end, said first named end having on the inner surface thereof, closely spaced from said outwardly extending flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced and annularly extending projections collectively defining a discontinuous circumferential rib of reduced diameter, the cross section of said projections longitudinally of said device being of tapered contour converging in the direction of said reduced diameter, said conical body and the flange and discontinuous rib thereof being integrally formed of yieldable material, the size and proportions of said conical portion being such as to accommodate the entire removable ampoule tip when said discontinuous rib has passed over the characteristic enlargement adjacent the ampoule and tip juncture, and said discontinuous rib, by reason of its inward protrusion and location, providing a pressure point closely adjacent such ampoule and tip juncture which facilitates clean severance of an ampoule tip.
 2. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second named end of said conical body is completely closed, and said device is intended as a one use, throw-away, device.
 3. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second named end of said conical body has a small axial opening facilitating insertion of a probe to eject a severed ampoule tip, and said device is intended for repeated use in the removal of ampoule tips.
 4. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the projections forming said discontinuous circumferential rib are of a length substantially twice the spacing therebetween, whereby accommodation of said device to ampoule tips of varying size is accomplished both by flexure of said projections and flexing of the body walls in the spaces between said projections.
 5. A finger protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said device is a unitary body of moulded plastic material. 